To give yourself the best chance of selling your writing, you need to understand how the industry works. Learn
more about how to submit a manuscript, writing query letters, and how to submit a partial.

The first thing you need to understand about dealing with editors is that they are people just like you. They are not to be feared. They are not to be idolized. They are simply employed by a publisher to (a) find new talent and (b) to work with authors so their book has the best possible chance of making a profit.

First, let me say that different publishers have different preferences. You're never going to find one set of guidelines that will suit everyone. However, most editors and most agents have fairly simple needs. They just want to receive a manuscript that is well laid out and easy to read, with decent margins AND page numbers.

The first reaction to reading a rejection letter is usually intense disappointment (and often days or weeks of depression). This doesn't last. Often, this 'rejection dejection' morphs straight into a firm resolve to fix whatever is wrong and do better next time.

As the author of dozens of books published over the past 20+ years, I am not one to be easily dissuaded by publishers' rejection letters. However, in 2003 there was one book I could not sell anywhere in Australia (and believe me, I tried every possible publisher!)

What you need to know is that there are no easy answers to 'how can I market my work?'. Whether you are trying to sell a novel, a self-help book, or an article, you need to stay in tune with the marketplace and be ready to adapt to changes. This is not what most people want to hear. It's so much easier to follow a formula. Follow these ten easy steps...

Writing a short book blurb is not only fun, but great practice for writing promotional copy of any kind. This article gives you simple steps to follow to write a book blurb, and gives examples of both fiction and non-fiction back cover blurbs. You'll also find some useful links to websites with further information.

Once upon a time, in a little brick house with an orange tile roof, there lived a writer. Every day the writer invented stories. Sometimes she even wrote them down. And very occasionally, one was completed. After one such story found itself miraculously transformed from the chaos of random thoughts inside her mind and into words, the writer decided to make an offering of her story to a great and powerful publisher...

When I told a group of authors I know that I was asked to write an article about rejection, they were jubilant. "At last, someone can go on record telling the world what editors are really like!" they said. "We pour our heart and soul into our work and they rarely notice. They have no idea what it is to have a dream..." It's been said that the acid test of whether or not one is a born writer is not only how well we write, but also how we cope with rejections.

Here's a news flash: most editors prefer a synopsis to be shorter rather than longer. Why? There are lots of reasons, but here are three important ones. You'll also find out about the 'synopsis tricks' that editors HATE - are you guilty? We finish with a checklist for basic synopsis construction.